RAWALPINDI: Though the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and the administration of the Taleemul Quran seminary and mosque are at loggerheads over the ownership of the land, the Punjab government is all set to start reconstruction of the building at a cost of Rs340 million on Monday.

The building housing the seminary, mosque and 134 shops at Raja Bazaar was burnt during the sectarian clash on Ashura last year.

The provincial government announced to reconstruct the building at a cost of Rs340 million besides compensating the traders whose goods were burnt during the sectarian clash.

Punjab Minister for Labour Raja Ashfaq Sarwar will lay the foundation of the building.

The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) has been assigned the work to reconstruct the complex within six months.

According to the plan, the complex will be constructed on nine kanals.

As many as 130 shops will be built on the ground flour while the mosque will be constructed on the second and the seminary on the third floor.

However, the local administration is still undecided about the inclusion of adjacent two residential houses and two shops owned by the ETPB in the complex.

The madressah administration managed to buy one private shop worth Rs15 million to expand the front of the mosque.

It also got two shops of the EPTB on lease for the construction of the backdoor way on Hamilton Road.

They are also trying to get the two houses measuring nine marlas each but the leasees, Mohammad Shabir and Janaat Bibi, are not willing to hand them over.

“We asked the local administration to construct and restore the house to its earlier condition,” Shabir told Dawn.

He said the seminary administration wanted to get the property for the expansion of the mosque. The minister for labour told Dawn that the provincial government had released Rs340 million for the reconstruction of the mosque, seminary and the shops.

“The construction work will be completed within six months. The compensation money will be paid to the traders after the completion of the work on the complex,” he said.

To a question about the issue between the seminary administration and the ETPB, the minister said the land was given to the mosque during the rule of Ziaul Haq.

However, he said details of the dispute were not in his knowledge.

“If there is any issue between the ETPB and the seminary administration, the concerned department should take it up with the authorities,” he said.

ETPB Rawalpindi administrator Wahab Gul could not be contacted for comments.

However, a senior official of the ETPB said the land dispute with the seminary was pending with the federal secretary minorities, adding the land was illegally given to the seminary in 1985.

“The ETPB Rawalpindi sent a report to its chairman but the matter has not been taken up yet,” he said.

Sharjeel Mir, the representative of Madina Market traders, they had been suffering financial losses for the last two months. The traders demanded the reconstruction of their shops.

He said the issue between the ETPB and the seminary would be resolved later but the government should construct the building so that the traders started their business.

When contacted, District Coordination Officer (DCO) Sajid Zafar Dall said the original cost of the complex was Rs300 million but it increased to Rs340 million because the construction company would have to erect the foundation after digging the earth by 20 feet,” he said.

He said the traders demanded the provincial government to start the work as soon as possible.

In reply to a question, the DCO said the government had made all the arrangements to save the Hindu temple at the site. “The construction work will not affect the temple,” he added.